New Dendro Setup! Need help...

[Adam Kenny]

Ya I will defo have it filled with something.

I also want to keep the lid as one piece rather than having to hang a basking bulb above the thing.. for aesthetic purposes mostly. So I might invest in a small aquarium hood to mount above it.

[Adam Kenny]

Hmm, in regards to heating I had an idea today, but don't know if it'll work.

If I make a foam background with a concrete layer, what if I simply cut a slice in the center of the foam and slip a standard reptile heat pad in?

Most of these are low wattage and don't generate any mad temps, but on the safe side I could hook it up to a thermostat...

Opinions?

[beckdg]

what about the adhesive and paper backing that covers it?

unless you're going to put thermostat probe directly on the heat pad itself this could be a fire hazard and/or get too hot. i would dim it a little and then if it's necessary add a controller.

[Adam Kenny]

I just mean a standard heat pad like these:



Yeah I'd defo set it up with a thermostat and controller, but if I was using the heat wire I'd imagine I'd have to do the same?

Which also raises another question. In other animals set up you need to worry about gradient, from one end of the viv to the other. Is it the same with darts? Or is a general air temp good enough?

-A

[beckdg]

that's exactly like flexwatt. i would not use that inside of the tank because the little green tape covers exposed electrical connections. it would be great for the bottom if you can keep it under 90*F so it doesn't crack your glass. a gradient is a necessity for any animal imo. no matter what species it is some will like higher or lower temps than others and according to how they feel at the moment. think about it, we can set our houses to a certain temps and on some days feel hot while on others the same temp feels cold. i'm sure the same goes with all animals. your variance can be supplied with a little ventilation (very little) or a lamp on one end for higher daytime temps.

[Adam Kenny]

Cool. And would you need to raise the tank above the heatpad to avoid cracking, or place something between the tank and the heat pad?

I'm just worried with the false water bottom, inches of substrate and whatnot, no heat will get through.. but maybe I'm just being too sceptical

[beckdg]

i pretty much always put mine directly on the glass itself. with that kind of pad i'd use foil tape around the edges and maybe a little silicone across the middle.

the heat will get through in most cases. it'll take some time though. you have to heat everything up to the ground surface...

[Adam Kenny]

Sweet...

What's this foil tape you're talking about? we probably call it something different over here.

And by little silicone would you mean like make a thin line from corner to corner, basically just to keep it slightly off the glass?

Thanks for the info, it's all greatly appreciated.

[beckdg]

it's typically used for heating ducts around here. it's not duct tape though... it's aluminum foil. i'm pretty sure there's a pic of the one i use in the gallery for an example.

a little silicone means a quick "s" pattern from end to end. a pretty thin line would do fine. if it skips a little i wouldn't worry about it either.

[Adam Kenny]

Gotcha. Any particular reason why you put the foil tape around the edge of the pad?